Mixtape

 

  1. Buffalo Soldier by Bob Marley  

  2. Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled, Rihanna and Bryson Tiller

  3. Safe and Sound by Capital Cities 

  4. The Love Club by Lorde

  5. Rude by MAGIC! 

  6. Love yourz by J. Cole

  7. Fast Car by Tracy Chapman

  8. Yeah! By Usher

  9. Say Hey (I love you) by the All Rebel Rockers

  10. Toast by Koffee

  11. 7 years - Lukas Graham

  12. Take a Bow - Rihanna

  13. Get Lucky - Daft Punk 

 AND Training of Black Men by WEB DuBois


Playlist:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1411FjG9G3y3jWA1sduy57?si=xMKFpI-TTV2qLAOQRs6Nxw 


For the mixtape, I wanted to blend my experiences and memories growing up, with the complicated theme of being different to both sides of one's family. There is a blend of black and white artists in order to blend the types of music, as well as picks that were popular in my household growing up in order to add personal touches to the music. Buffalo Soldier was chosen for its reggae origins, and its meaning to me. It was a song played a lot in my house growing up, especially by my Jamaican father. Buffalo Soldier connects to WEB DuBois writing called ‘Training of Black Men’ through historical contexts, as the song describes the Black Americans that fought for America against the indigenous people, supporting DuBois opinion that the Identity of Black Men in America is rooted in labor. Wild thoughts is a more literal choice, referring to the wild questions kids have growing up, when seeing anyone or anything that they don’t understand, asking why every kid looks different from each other. Safe and Sound was chosen as a nostalgic connection, as a warm reassurance from whoever protected kids growing up that someone has their back even in the hard experiences and conversations. The Love Club, by Lorde was chosen for its themes of otherness, as outsider feelings take over the narrator, connected to being seen as different in every part of your family despite the love they show you. Rude, highlights the understanding that you are different from others, and sometimes people won’t be able to see through that. Love Yourz, was chosen because of its lyrics about comparison, highlighting the way that nothing is more important than perspective and that gratitude is the most fulfilling part of life. This connects to my theme because all experiences are impacted by the perspective of whoever lives through them, so switching perspectives on what growing up is like changes up the way you view the experience of being biracial. DuBois also has opinions on perspective, observing the way education is the way to further Black men's opportunities. The next 2 songs, Yeah! And Say Hey blends happiness, love and community as kids grow up, seeing the joy between both sides of the family and the music that connects them. Toast further reiterates the message of Love Yourz, speaking about gratitude and reinforcing that identity is not only defined by struggle. 7 years adds a nostalgic touch as the mixtape begins wrapping up, as Take A Bow acknowledges that not everyone will respect your identity and maturity is realizing when it's time to exit the situation. Ending off the mixtape with get lucky is a double entendre, as one side is asserting that I have been lucky with my family, history and the way I was born, where the other defines identity as the opposite of luck, fueled by history, joy and perspective. This mixtape overall mirrors DuBois opinions and discussions in Training of Black Men, that identity is defined through perspective, external pressure and internal cultivation. By taking songs with a story, from both Black and White artists, this mixtape reflects the unity in Biracialness, showing that one can only grow when choosing and embracing both branches of the family tree. 

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